Blackberry acquires UK-based startup Movirtu

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Blackberry Ltd has acquired Movirtu, a UK-based startup that will allow users to maintain separate identities for work and personal use and will provide a clear billing system for companies.

Blackberry’s acquisition, will now allow companies to allow wireless carriers to have different contact numbers through a virtual SIM platform and will receive a separate bill for data, messaging and calls. Corporate employees who use their personal devices at workplace can use separate identities in the device for billing, making way for hassle-free billing. The terms of the deal were not revealed.

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“In a BYOD (Bring your own device) and COPE (corporate-owned, personally owned) world, there remain a number of efficiency and convenience challenges facing enterprises, employees and mobile operators alike,” said Blackberry CEO John Chen.

The company is set to get boost in providing professional services and also provides security and business focus due to the separate identity for work and personal use. Movirtu services will be able to restrict data, calls and messaging after work hours while the personal account will remain in use. The company will also provide value added services for boosting its Blackberry Enterprise Services (BES) platform and global infrastructure that connects to several wireless carriers.

However, no Canadian carrier has signed up for the service yet. The new service will generate additional revenue for Blackberry and will provide a clear billing system for companies. Movirtu is known for developing Worklife, that allows two phone numbers on a device, ManyMe that allows multiple phone numbers on a device and CloudPhone that provides calling features over Wi-Fi without a SIM card.